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[jagfox]

Phew.....

Poor first twenty minutes. Steadied the ship then rolled them over second half....

[lennythistle]

Actually thought we were awful for first 35 mins. Last ten in the first half we got to grips with conditions and should have scored.

 

Second half was a very good performance and only complaint was that we should have scored more than the 4 we got.

 

First game for me in 2012 and liked look of Cole and thought Naismith was very good when he came on. Nothing went right for Elliott tonight, just bad day at the office.

 

For me the MOTM was O'Donnell. Put in some great crosses, never stopped running all night, good dig in him and was never short of words of encouragement towards rest of team when things where tough in that first 35 mins. Please get him signed up for next season. Erskine came onto a game the longer it went and second half I thought he caused Ayr no end of problems.

 

Overall pleased with the result and fact we stuck at it.

[Jaggyman]

Pretty poor first half altho we did have 3 or 4 chances. Ayr handled the wind better in the first half than we did. Team booed off the park at half time. 2nd half much much better as was said above we should have scored more than the 4 we got. To the Boo boys after 20 mins or so GIRFUY

[Gordie]

The first 20 mins was shocking, I was going nuts, i couldnt see anything but defeat, playing like that, play people in their positions, Erskine is a left sided player, when he switched with Cairney we started playing. Cairney for me shouldn't be out of the centre of the pitch, he is like a poor mans Messi, at times he is unplayable. 2nd half was very entertaining, what a difference.

[jags on tour]

first half we were shocking, ayr could have been 2 or 3 up by then. was saying to my dad at half time Jackie had 45 mins to save his job as the team didnt look up for it at all and we didnt look like scoring, elliott had the shot over the bar when he was on the ground but other than that their keeper wasnt threatened at all in the first half. 2nd half it was good to see the boys out a few mins early and getting warmed up. we could have scored a few more, doolan had a great chance for his hattrick and the keeper made a good save, i thought dools would have hit the pen to get his third and get a bit of confidence back in him. 4 th goal was a good move and roll across the box for cairney to pass in.

mix up between fox and cole(i think) dunno if the ball got caught up in the wind but i think fox has to be more commanding in his box.he didnt cover himself on glory for ayr's second either, i thought he should have done better or at least have got a hand to it.

ayr seemed to collapse after robbo going off, alot of our attacks coming down their right hand side. good to see erskine and sincy link up on that left hand side again. well done Jags, now to stick the boot into these kirkcaldy clowns.

[Peter McLindu]

Cairney's pen

 

 

Enjoy guys

[Woodstock Jag]

We were appalling first half hour and couldn't pass for toffee. The Ayr goal was a result of sloppy/no communication between Fox and Cole.

 

Second half much improved. Ayr tired a bit, and we looked a lot more dangerous when we switched Cairney and Erskine on the wings. Sinclair came into his own in the second half with a lot more space to run the overlap. Doolan's first seemed to come out of nowhere but well taken. Erskine's cross for the second was pitch perfect and pleasant to see. Thought it was a soft penalty but not complaining. Wish Doolan had been allowed to take it but fair play to Cairney as it was well taken. Ayr's second was a cracker of a goal and made things a wee bit edgy but Doolan assisted well for Cairney's second. All in all good to see us scoring goals again and hopefully that will raise the team's confidence again.

[Alan Murray]

We were a shambles for the first 30 odd mins. We struggled with the conditions and Ayr was playing some nice stuff. They scored one but could have been more.

 

First Ayr goal parker got in front of Archie; O'Donnell also could have done better.

 

After the first 30 mins or so we started to settle and we were passing the ball better. I thought Cole was impressive and Cairney after a poor first 30 mins played very well.

 

Ayr tired in the last 20 mins or so and Naismith came off the bench and caused them problems with his pace and showed good composure on the ball.

 

Really good to get the win especially after the first 30 mins.

 

Thought parker looked good for Ayr, he could have done a job for us.

[JaggyThistle]

Credit to where it's due for the two people I've been giving pesters to the last few weeks: Erskine and MacNamara.

 

When Robbo went off injured for them Jackie switched Erskine over to the left (where he should always be imo) and for me that turned the game for us. Erskines cross for Doolans second was sublime - well done big man!

 

Easily the worst 30-35 mins for donkeys (maybe Livi apart), but again credit to everyone for that second half performance. We actually looked like a very capable team.

 

Still loads of negatives from that first spell but hey - (cliche alert) they rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in second half so we can let it go!

 

Now let's see if we can take that second half form up to Kirkcaldy.

[chunky jag]

Wasn't at the game, but just mightily relieved we won that, I thought we'd lose tonight given our poor form, but fair play for the 2nd half. Even with that in mind, I disagree with Jackie's "I believe that if they do the fundamental things , the ugly side of the game if you like, correctly then there is no better side in the First Division."

 

We are far too mediocre for him to be coming away with that after 45 decent minutes at home to bottom of the league.

[jagfox]

Thought O'Donnell was partly culpable for the first goal, however it was a shitfest at that point.

Fox seemed stuck to his line a bit as well.

Think the fight we showed especially second half made a difference aligned with some wind assistance.

Important result but still questions remain unanswered in terms of inconsistencies. Nice to get back on goal trail, but I'd take a draw in Linoland right now.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

I posted on some other thread that i thought whoever got the first goal tonight would win it and I still felt that way at half time. We came out for the second half early a good bit before the officials and Ayr and I was still having negative thoughts (a Lambie type manager would still be tearing the team to shreds in the dressing room). Very pleasantly surprised to see the team turn things round. I really couldn't see it happening.

 

Btw Naismith was an excellent sub tonight. Rarely seen a guy come onto the park and, apart from a misjudgment in the first minute he was on, do everything correctly plus also show real flair. Maybe given what's happening across the river the lad has woken up to reality. Whatever if he can keep that form up he'll be a first team regular.

[Watson Towers]

Cairney played a total storm. Bugger me, that's a player.

 

Paton had a bit of a minger, but that pass over the top for Dools leading to Cairney's 2nd (the 4th goal) was a thing of sheer beauty.

 

Well done to the Ayr fans, by the way. Best singing at Firhill for some time, with a particular mention to the "test tube babies" song and their cover of "Anarchy in the UK".

 

p.s. Easy to give Marko a patronising clap as he hobbled off - kind of in the same way you'd give up your seat on the bus to a wee frail old lady. Yesterday's man.

[madcapmilkdrinker]

McNamara's team talk at half time obviously turned it round.

 

Were there scenes of unbridled joy among the crowd when they witnessed an actual live goal at Firhill?

[brodieboy]

Yesterday, I read that McNamara was likely to go with unchanged side which almost deterred me from going...

 

After making a 120 mile round trip, the first 30 minutes began to make my blood boil with rage!

 

But, credit must go to the players for rolling their sleeves up and getting back into a game which Ayr should have killed off before half time. Cairney, Erskine and O'Donnell all looked dangerous going forward and hopefully McNamara realises that these guys must be given the ball as much as possible if we are to create chances.

 

Doolan and Naismith played like men possessed in the 2nd half. Maybe some of them are starting to realise they're playing for the futures.

 

I've been critical of McNamara of late but whatever he said/did at half time, certainly worked a treat

[northernsoul]

p.s. Easy to give Marko a patronising clap as he hobbled off - kind of in the same way you'd give up your seat on the bus to a wee frail old lady. Yesterday's man.

 

Speak for yourself.

 

I clapped him off because I still appreciate what he done for Thistle in his time at the Club. His intelligence, link up play and his goals and some memorable ones at that.

 

Mark Roberts saved Thistle.

[Armand2]

The scoreline suggests that this was a comfortable, routine win but it was anything but that for large spells. The performance in the opening 30 minutes was the worst I've seen from us this season. I missed the first goal (well, I saw the ball hit the net on the television as I was coming in) so can't really comment on what happened. All I know is Parker scored it and, allied to his all-round performance, looked like he could have probably done a job for us.

 

I hope that last night taught Jackie something that has been a source of great frustration for the fans - PLAY ERSKINE ON THE LEFT WING! His game is totally annulled when he plays on the right; he has to come inside and that suits the opposition down to the ground as they can crowd him out. As soon as Cairney switched, it created pretty much our first clear-cut chance of the game. It's no coincidence that both Erskine and Cairney went on to have fine games after swapping positions.

 

Another observation regarding Jackie's postional tinkering - Paton is useless in midfield. Jackie has been praised for moving him there and I honestly see no benefit of it, other than to accomodate O'Donnell at right-back. I think we lose a lot of width, a vital attacking option and defensive solidity without Paton at right-back. With him in his current position, all we get is his tenacity and I think we are wasting his talents.

 

I think Naismith could be a useful player for us and, if the opportunity arose, I would be keen to add him permanently. He's a big guy, good feet and, with the right coaching, could become a very decent centre forward for us. However, he needs to add something to his game and this leads me to my next point.

 

We have to become nastier. Naismith tried to help Malone up last night and was told where to go. Elliot, like Naismith, has a good build but is as timid as a mouse. I remember reading an article on Norwich's Steve Morison who said his early career was plighted because he was "too nice", he'd apologise for bumping into defenders. Once he became, for want of a better phrase, a "b*stard", he shot up the leagues, from non-league to Premiership. I think that is exactly what Elliot and Naismith need and, if they develop that, they will serve us well.

 

Back to the game, I didn't think it was any coincidence that Ayr totally fell away when Robertson and the Hoor went off. I thought their number 8, who I believe is on loan from Blackpool, had a very decent game. But, they'll go down, unfortunately. They could have had us dead and buried by half-time but it's the old cliche about taking your chances. We were more clinical and won as a result but I wouldn't say we played significantly better than Ayr.

 

Still can't believe we scored four goals...

[Armand2]

Speak for yourself.

 

I clapped him off because I still appreciate what he done for Thistle in his time at the Club. His intelligence, link up play and his goals and some memorable ones at that.

 

Mark Roberts saved Thistle.

 

Amen to that.

 

I thought he had a good game last night; held the ball up well and showed he still has the audacious skill he's always had.

 

Anyone who doesn't appreciate what the Hoor done for Thistle has their head up their backside. He, almost single-handedly, won us promotion and kept us in this division.

 

I'll always applaud him whenever he comes back, never out of pity or condescension, but because he was a delightful player, a top bloke and quite possibly, as Northern Soul touched upon, the saviour of Partick Thistle.

[gettingjaggy]

My wee blog about last night is here:

 

http://gettingjaggy.blogspot.com/

[lady-isobel-barnett]

My wee blog about last night is here:

 

http://gettingjaggy.blogspot.com/

 

I enjoyed that

[Jaggernaut]

My wee blog about last night is here:

 

http://gettingjaggy.blogspot.com/

 

Excellent report.

[gettingjaggy]

I enjoyed that

Excellent report.

 

Cheers

[Fearchar]

......We have to become nastier. Naismith tried to help Malone up last night and was told where to go. Elliot, like Naismith, has a good build but is as timid as a mouse. I remember reading an article on Norwich's Steve Morison who said his early career was lighted because he was "too nice", he'd apologise for bumping into defenders. Once he became, for want of a better phrase, a "b*stard", he shot up the leagues, from non-league to Premiership. I think that is exactly what Elliot and Naismith need and, if they develop that, they will serve us well......

 

That has been true of Partick Thistle teams for many years now: if you want pearls, you need to start with grit.

 

The team's performance was adequate in the second half because they were in possession most of the time, against tired opposition. However, when there's a challenge for the ball, it takes 2 or even 3 Jags players to gain possession from 1 opposition player - and even then, sometimes, they lose it. Any opposing player in possession is allowed to run unchallenged with the ball at his feet - no challenge, and no marking! Most Jags player left in the wake of an opponent in possession then give up and decide that there's no point in doing any more. A player in a team with a will to win would track back and get in another challenge - if not the next one, then after another of his teammates had challenged and slowed down the opposition player even more. Any opposing player in possession should be given as little time and space a possible to pass or to shoot. Contrast that with the open invitation to goal offered up to Ayr United so many times last night.

 

It would be nice to be in a position to tell these players that when they're toying with minor-league opposition in a European competition, they can slack off and let the opposition see the ball from time to time - but until they reach that level, the players' job is to hinder the opposition in every way allowed by the rules until possession is regained. The coaching team should be instilling that attitude in players at every opportunity, but that's not what we're seeing on the park. Instead, we get hard-luck stories: "It was frustrating not to get the win that we feel that we deserved". No, you don't deserve a win if your players won't work for it, Jackie. That's the way the world (not just football) works.

 

Let's be frank: Paul Cairney is one of the more limited players we field - he's easily outrun (no pace) and he doesn't have the physique to challenge in the air or even shoulder-to-shoulder on the ground - but he makes up for it with determination. That's why he's an automatic inclusion and why he's the top scorer - from midfield. He also tracks back, so that if he loses the ball, he often gets a second chance to challenge for it. It's not talent, but attitude.

 

Doolan is another player worth mentioning for his attitude - tracking back on the field of play and working on his own to improve his weak points. (He scored with his weaker foot and with his head last night.)

 

A team that puts 4 past the opposition has trounced them; if it gives away 2 in the process, then it's proof that there are serious shortcomings in defensive play (i.e. when not in possession). Sadly, there is no sign that the message is getting through to Messrs McNamara and Donnelly. If they don't become a bit 'nastier' and get the players to approach football the same way, then they won't make the impact that later on, in hindsight, they'd have wanted to make.

Edited February 22, 2012 by Fearchar

[lennythistle]

My wee blog about last night is here:

 

http://gettingjaggy.blogspot.com/

 

Fab blog, well done.

[Blackpool Jags]

Speak for yourself.

 

I clapped him off because I still appreciate what he done for Thistle in his time at the Club. His intelligence, link up play and his goals and some memorable ones at that.

 

Mark Roberts saved Thistle.

Amen to that.

 

I thought he had a good game last night; held the ball up well and showed he still has the audacious skill he's always had.

 

Anyone who doesn't appreciate what the Hoor done for Thistle has their head up their backside. He, almost single-handedly, won us promotion and kept us in this division.

 

I'll always applaud him whenever he comes back, never out of pity or condescension, but because he was a delightful player, a top bloke and quite possibly, as Northern Soul touched upon, the saviour of Partick Thistle.

 

 

Precisely my take on things Hoor related; all so true. Honestly can't think of a Thistle player of the past 8 or 9 years who made a bigger contribution to the cause of PTFC.